Have you ever played that game with friends where you ask, “What would you choose for your last meal?” Well, steak frites is my pick. While this traditional dish of steak and fries is often served in European brasseries, I love Asian flavors, so I came up with this unexpected — but entirely tasty — pairing of seasonings that will blow your mind! I legitimately believe that this is the best steak frites recipe on the Internet.
There are three components to the dish: the steak (and its marinade), the fry (and its seasoning), and a dipping sauce. But don’t worry, it comes together quickly for a weeknight or weekend meal that looks way more impressive than it should for the short amount of time you spend making these steak frites.
Oh and a tip on how to pronounce frites: it sounds like “freet” with a soft t. (I know about as much French as my dog, but I do know food so I’m saving you some time Googling it if it’s new to you.)
To start, you’ll want to get a couple of tender steaks like a rib eye or New York strip steak. For my marinade, I do a play on the Thai dish called Tiger’s Tear, Weeping Tiger, or Crying Tiger. I gather up a menagerie of spices that we’ll add to a pan to toast: chipotle chili flakes, white (or black) peppercorns, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds. When you toast spices, you really help bloom the aromatics. Starting with a dry pan helps bring out the natural oils. Once the coriander seeds begin to pop you’re ready to grind the spices in a mortar & pestle or automatic grinder. Once it’s more finely ground, I add some porcini mushroom powder, coarse salt, fine sea salt, olive oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey to complete the marinade. Rub the sauce onto the steak and marinate it for 20 minutes while you get to work on the fries.
Dinner Plate | Lidded Glass Jar | Spice Jars
To make my five-spice seasoned fries, we need to cook the potatoes twice. First I’ll boil them to soften them on the inside and create the texture needed to crisp up the outside. For every quart of water I bring to a boil, I like to add a capful or a couple of teaspoons of white vinegar. The vinegar helps the potato stay together after it’s boiled. I’m using russet potatoes, and I peel the outside edge and leave the tops on for that “artisanal” look.
If you have a french fry cutter, grab that now or get out a sharp knife. I’m using the 1/4″ blade distance on my fry slicer, but you can also slice them in the same size as batons. Next I’ll rinse off the fries to get rid of any excess starch. These go in the boiling water for about 5 minutes, and then I drain them, and place them on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. They need to cool down for a little bit, so I’ll just get the oil going next so it’s up to temperature when I’m done cooking the steaks. If you have a fryer, feel free to use that. I use my cast iron pot, and fill it with 1.5 parts peanut oil to 1 part beef tallow for a little extra flavor. That gets heated to around 375 degrees (that’s around medium heat on my range).
Now I’m going to cook the steaks, heat the grill on medium-high and add the steaks to cook until they reach 130-135 degrees for medium rare. While those cooked, I made a quick seasoning salt for the fries composed of sea salt, five spice powder, and the tiniest pinch of cardamom. It adds a great burst of spiced flavor. Take the steak off the heat, and let it rest with some tented foil overtop.
Back to the fries! Always fry them in batches so the oil maintains its temperature. I add two tiny drops of water to the top of the oil. (Yes I know, hot oil and water don’t usually mix, but it’s a helpful trick: as this comes to temperature, the water will crackle and pop at its boiling point. That tells me it’s almost ready.)
I usually drop in one fry to do a test to see if it’s at the right temperature. Then I’ll put in a small handful and fry until there’s some light browning and crispness on the sides — approximately 5 minutes. Add the frites to a bowl to toss with the spice rub, and lay them out on the wire-rack lined tray to cool without steaming themselves, avoiding a soggy fry (a catastrophe).
Dinner Plate | Chef’s Knife | Condiment Bowl
While those are cooling, you can make a quick dipping sauce for the fries that’s three parts ketchup, one part sweet chili sauce, and one part hoisin sauce.
To serve, slice the steak against the grain and serve with a big pile of perfectly seasoned fries. And that’s it! So treat yourself to this twist on steak frites — you’ll love this nontraditional take on a classic.
Steak Frites
Ingredients:
- 2 ribeye or New York strip steaks
- 3 large russet potatoes
For the Steak Marinade
- 1/4 tsp chili flake
- 1 tsp white peppercorns (or black if that’s what you have)
- 1 tsp coriander seed
- 1/2 tsp fennel seed
- 1/2 tsp porcini mushroom powder (optional)
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce (I use gluten free)
- 2 tsp oyster sauce (I use gluten free)
- 1 tsp honey
For the Fry Seasoning
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 1 small pinch cardamom
For the Dipping Sauce
- 3 parts ketchup
- 1 part sweet chili sauce
- 1 part hoisin sauce
Suggest Frying Oil Mix
- 2 cups beef tallow
- 3 cups peanut oil
Directions:
Make the Steak
- First, make the marinade by toasting the chili flake, white peppercorns, coriander seed, and fennel seed in a dry pan on medium heat. Once the coriander seeds start to pop, move the spices into a mortar and pestle and grind to a semi-fine powder. Add the remaining marinade ingredients and pour over the steaks, coating each side separately. Set the steaks aside at room temperature to marinade for at least 20 minutes.
- While the steak marinates, heat a grill to medium high. Oil the grill lightly, and grill the steaks to desired doneness. Let rest for at least 10 minutes.
Make the Fries
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 2 tsp white wine vinegar for each quart of water. boil the potatoes for 5 minutes, then set on a baking sheet covered in paper towel to drain and cool. Spread evenly and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add 5 cups of frying oil to a high-sided cast iron pot. Heat over medium until it reach a temperature of 375. Add the fries, in batches so that the pan is not over-crowded, and fry until golden and crisp. Use a frying spoon to pull the fries out of the oil into a large metal bowl. Immediately sprinkle the seasoning on and toss to coat evenly. Lay out on a cooling rack over a pan lined with paper towel to drain without getting soggy.
Make the Dipping Sauce
- Combine the dipping sauce ingredients and whisk well. Portion into small condiment cups.
Plate and Serve
- Slice the steaks and lay on the plate, next to a serving of the fries. Finish with the cup of dipping sauce and enjoy!
Your turn! How do you like your steak frites?
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